Gerald Levin and Ed Bleier
| UJA-Federation Recognizes Integrity As Performance By TIM BOXER UNIQUE invocation was offered at a UJA-Federation dinner as Henry Schleiff intoned: “They tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat!” A formidable roster of media types jammed the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom as the Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award was presented to two honchos of the entertainment and media worlds - Martin Pompadur, executive vice president of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., and Edward Bleier, president of Warner Bros. Pay-TV, cable and network features. Marty Pompadur and Howard Rubenstein | After dinner, Roone Arledge, the ABC-TV sports honcho who anchored the program, called upon New York Times columnist William Safire and comedienne Joy Behar. Roone said his role is similar to Ed Sullivan of whom it was said: He would survive as long as other people have talent. In identifying the qualities that Bleier has shown which deserve a UJA-Federation award, Safire said, “What can you say about a man who spent his entire life selling Loony Tunes?” Mr. And Mrs. Ed Bleier and Mr. And Mrs. William Safire
| Actually, Bleier’s success hinges on his belief that “integrity doesn’t hinder performance – integrity is performance.” PR maven Howard Rubenstein, co-chair of UJA-Federation Entertainment, Media & Communications Division, announced the establishment of a summer camp scholarship named for Bleier and Pompadur. That pleased the two honorees, who helped bring in $3 million during the evening. |